See you at the pole

Sep

“See you at the pole” is an annual tradition in the US to show that Jesus still belongs in our schools. Since the sixties Bible teaching and prayer have been ripped out of public schools and any Christian activity is at least a small ray of light in what has become dark and secular.

See you at the pole artwork

Kids get up early to stand round their school’s flag pole to pray for their school and their nation. This is a good start, but it should be seen as the faithful launch of an endeavor to continue to pray and to continue to reach out to their fellow students throughout the year.

I was at a recent meeting in San Diego for leaders concerned about the youth of our city. Here in San Diego the sun shines constantly and beaches are nearby. Sports or band or homework or family demand much attention and we should not be surprised that most teenagers no longer attend a place of worship. The sad consequence is that these passtimes have replaced Jesus. They are all enveloping and the expectation is that kids either pursue excellence for hours each day or they almost drop out. It’s all or nothing…The same is true for many of their parents. Most jobs demand long hours and offer little paid leave. The impression must be given that the job is the number one priority and vacations must be kept short. Alternatively, and increasingly common is the tough reality that many adults have few work options and struggle with unemployment.

It seems that most people are either too busy or too depressed to walk confidently into their schools or work places to talk about Jesus, to reach out to the lost with Christ’s compassion. It is hard to think of the busy successful ones as lost, but from Jesus’ perspective they are just as lost as those dependent on drugs or alcohol, if they have no relationship with him. In Luke 19:10 we are reminded that “the Son of Man (Jesus) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That was his purpose in coming to Earth.

In Luke chapter 19 Jesus seeks Zacchaeus, a greedy tax collector, notorious for cheating people. Jesus wants to spend the day with this man who is rich and selfish, a man who in Jesus’ eyes is definitely lost. Jesus does not just want to hover in churches or even round flag poles with the favored few, the holy huddle. He wants to reach those who have no concept of religion. Jesus does not wait for Zacchaeus to step into a temple or church; he invites himself to the tax collector’s house and Zacchaeus’s life is transformed: from profiteer to generous benefactor in a single day. He gives away half of his wealth to the poor and he repays those he cheated four times what he took! Jesus concluded that “salvation has come to this house today..” Jesus went after this guy and apparently prompted him to change totally. Zacchaeus’s actions show a repentant heart expressing Jesus’ love.

If you have not experienced the love of Jesus, call out to him and read his words in the New Testament. He loves you and he will change you, if like Zacchaeus you are willing to repent. Perhaps you are already aware of Jesus. Have you allowed him to change you, has he empowered you with his love and his Spirit so that you can’t help but reach out to the lost at school or at work? Let’s move beyond “see you at the pole” and respond like Jesus. Salvation is far more important than being politically correct or being successful: it is about whether or not we and our friends spend an eternity with Jesus. It is about radically changed lives in the present as well as in the future. It is about letting Jesus work in and through us to change the world.